LOCAL STAGING OF PROSTATE-CANCER WITH 0.2 T BODY COIL MRI

This study was undertaken to evaluate the accuracy of low field streng th body coil MRI in the staging of clinically localized prostate cance r, Fifty-three patients with prostate cancer were examined on a 0.2 T body coil system before undergoing radical prostatectomy, Of the 20 ca ses with unconfined stage T3 disease on histology, 12 were correctly s taged, whilst three cases were overstaged by MRI. (Accuracy 79.2%, sen sitivity 60%, and specificity 90.9%.) The accuracy, sensitivity and sp ecificity for the detection of capsular penetration were 77.3%, 55% an d 90.9%, respectively, whilst those for seminal vesical invasion were 94.3%, 83.3% and 95.7%, respectively, It is concluded that a high leve l of staging accuracy, comparable to that obtained in some published s tudies using high field strength endorectal coil MRI, can be obtained using 0.2 T body coil MRI.